1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aquatic species. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a method of recording the behavior of aquatic species. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to modifying the behavior of aquatic species. In yet another of its aspects, the invention relates to an article for modifying the behavior of aquatic species. In still another of its aspects, the invention relates to an apparatus for modifying the behavior of aquatic species.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fish are well known to possess highly developed sense organs for the purpose of detecting complex underwater sounds and vibrations. Through a related sense organ, many fish and other aquatic species can also detect, as well as generate electrical fields about them and in some cases can detect them from considerable distances. There is evidence that fish are able to detect not only static electric fields but are further able to discriminate complex modulations of surrounding electric fields from other like and unlike aquatic animals. These complex patterns in the electrical fields are recognized as distinct xe2x80x9csignaturesxe2x80x9d in relationship to other aquatic organisms. Such discrimination of complex patterns appears to play an important role in fish communication as well as a number of other behaviors including forage identification and location, hunting and feeding behavior, danger signals, patterns associated with injured or distressed prey, social behaviors, shoaling, reproductive behaviors, and perhaps migration.
A number of attempts have been made to take advantage of the behavior modifying potential of electric fields and electromotive forces. An example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,950 issued to Linder in 1993. Linder discloses a fishing lure that generates an electromagnetic field intended to xe2x80x9cclosely resemble the electromagnetic field naturally emitted by fish.xe2x80x9d The problem with this approach is that Linder""s devices are incapable of reproducing the complex modulations in electrical or electromagnetic fields that are recognized as distinct behavior modifying patterns as they occur in nature. Electrical fields are not static in living organisms. While some basic xe2x80x9cchargexe2x80x9d may be assigned to a living aquatic organism, very small but distinct and unique changes occur due to depolarizations within the animals"" cells; most notably as a result of nerve and muscle depolarization, heartbeats, or by the organisms inherent ability to change its electrical field in response to an external stimulus.
According to the invention, a method for recreating complex and changing electrical fields representative of those detected underwater in the context of specific behavior modifying events of underwater species, comprises the steps of selecting an aquatic species to observe, observing and digitally recording certain characteristics of the selected species and then correlating them with the behavior and electrical field data in the vicinity of the species.
Further according to the invention, an article or apparatus for recreating complex and changing electrical fields representative of those detected underwater in the context of specific behavior modifying events of underwater species comprises a data structure which has digital records of certain visible behavior of a selected species correlated with electrical field data of the visible behavior of the species. In one embodiment, the data structure is embodied into a chip which is mounted into a sealed housing which also includes a circuit to periodically read the data in the data structure and to generate a signal representative of the changing electrical fields related to a certain type of behavior of the underwater species and an electrical pole or poles (electrodes) which is/are responsive to the signal to recreate the electrical or electromagnetic field signature either within or outside of the housing, and within the aquatic environment. The chip can be in the form of a plug which can be interchangeable in the sealed housing to accommodate different data structures in the housing as desired. In a preferred embodiment, the sealed housing is in the form of a fishing lure and has hooks attached to it. In another embodiment, the data structure is incorporated into a read only memory in a computer that can be carried by a watercraft. The apparatus further comprises an electrode or electrodes which is/are connected to the computer to detect electrical field signatures in the vicinity of an underwater species and the computer includes a comparator to compare the detected electrical field patterns or xe2x80x9csignaturesxe2x80x9d with the electrical field signatures stored in the data structure. The apparatus further includes an output device to identify those species for which the detected electrical field signatures match the electrical field signatures in the data structure. In one further embodiment of the invention, the computer has circuitry to read the data structure and to generate signals representative of certain electrical field signatures of a particular underwater species and to apply the thus generated signals to an underwater electrode or electrodes to recreate the electrical field signature of a desirable species underwater.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, behavior modifying electrical field patterns are xe2x80x9cdiscoveredxe2x80x9d by placing an electrode(s) in an underwater environment in the vicinity of a desired species of aquatic organism(s). Electromotive potentials are applied to the electrode(s) in either randomly selected or in predefined patterns representing modulated pulses to the electrode(s) and thereby resulting in a changing underwater electrical field in the vicinity of the electrode(s) and the study organism(s). Different applied patterns of pulses over time and/or changes in the magnitude of electrical field forces are experimentally applied until a modification in behavior of the study organism(s) is observed. The behavior change may be any of a number of observations as previously described. Once a certain behavior response is observed, it is recorded in association with the indices defining the electrical field signal pattern being applied at the time that the change in behavior was observed. These indices are then used to confirm the behavior modifying influence when the same electrical field signal pattern is re-created in the presence of like organisms. The indices associated with this behavior modification are stored in a digital or analog memory and applied in an like manner to the naturally occurring xe2x80x9csignaturesxe2x80x9d recorded above. These xe2x80x9cartificialxe2x80x9d electrical field patterns can be used in conjunction with or instead of the natural electrical field signatures.
In addition, various species of aquatic organisms can be identified in a database containing identifying electric field signature information. In one aspect of the invention a method is provided for identifying a particular aquatic species in an unisolated environment according to a particular electrical field signature generated by various aquatic species comprising the steps of measuring data representative of the electrical field generated by the particular aquatic species; looking up the measured data representative of the electrical field in a database, wherein the database has a first index which cross-references a list of aquatic species with a corresponding list of unique electrical field data; and reporting any matches of the measured data representative of the electrical field found in the database to a user.